Treat your guests and yourself to this IPA-enhanced mouth-watering rib-eye with blue cheese butter.
Active preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 8 minutes
Serves: 1–2
Rib-Eye
2 Tbs butter
One 12-oz (340 g) boneless rib-eye (14-oz/397-g bone in)
¼ cup (2 fl oz/59 ml) IPA
1 pinch salt
1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
2 oz (57 g) Blue Cheese–Beer Butter (see below)
Place the butter in a large cast-iron pan and place the pan over high heat. Once the pan begins to smoke, gently lay the rib-eye in the pan and brown the bottom. Turn the steak over and cook to desired doneness, being careful to avoid splattering the hot butter.
Remove from the heat just before the rib-eye reaches your desired internal temperature (130–135°F/55–57°C for medium-rare; 160°F/71°C for well-done). Deglaze the pan with the beer, then season the steak with the salt and pepper. Place the Blue Cheese–Beer Butter on the steak and allow it to melt slowly while serving.
Blue Cheese–Beer Butter
Makes: 1 pound (454 grams)
½ lb (227 g) butter (2 sticks), room temperature
¼ lb (113 g) Point Reyes Original Blue Cheese crumbles
¼ cup (2 fl oz/59 ml) IPA
1 tsp kosher salt
2 Tbs parsley, chopped
Combine all the ingredients in a tabletop mixer or food processor and blend together. Remove and chill until the butter sets.
Beer suggestions: A citrus-forward IPA, such as Victory Brewing DirtWolf (Downingtown, Pennsylvania), Lagunitas Sucks (Lagunitas, California), or Schlafly Tasmanian IPA (St. Louis, Missouri), works well against the funky blue cheese. Pair with a bold black IPA such as Firestone Walker Wookey Jack (Paso Robles, California) or Odell Brewing Mountain Standard (Fort Collins, Colorado).
PHOTO: CHRISTOPHER CINA